Aṇguttara Nikāya
Sattaka Nipāta
Dhana Vaggo
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
The Book of the Sevens
Chapter I: Treasures
Sutta 4
Vitthata Satta-Bala Suttaṃ
Powers in Detail
Translated from the Pali by E.M. Hare.
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Once the Exalted One was dwelling near Sāvatthī,
at Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍika's Park;
and there he addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
'Yes, lord,' they replied;
and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, these are the seven powers.
What seven?
The power of faith,
energy,
conscientiousness,
fear of blame,
mindfulness,
concentration
and wisdom.
Verily, monks, these are the seven.
§
And what, monks, is the power of faith?
Consider, monks, the Ariyan disciple who has faith;
he believes thus of the Tathāgata's awakening: -
Of a truth he is the Exalted One,
arahant,
fully awakened,
adept in knowledge and conduct,
well going,
a world-knower,
incomparable,
a tamer of tamable men,
among devas and men the teacher,
Buddha,
Exalted One.[1]
This, monks, is called the power of faith.
■
And what is the power of energy?
Consider the Ariyan disciple who abides stirred in energy
to be rid of wrong things,
to take to right things;
he is steadfast,
firm in advance,
nor lays aside the yoke of righteousness.
This is called the power of energy.
■
And what is the power of conscientiousness?
Consider the Ariyan disciple who is conscientious;
he is shamed by misconduct in deed,
word
and thought;
shamed at having fallen[2] into evil and unrighteous ways.
This, monks, is called the power of conscientiousness.
■
[3] And what is the power of the fear of blame?
Consider the Ariyan disciple who fears blame;
he fears to be blamed for misconduct in deed,
word
and thought;
he fears the blame of having fallen into evil and unrighteous ways.
This, monks, is called the power of the fear of blame.
■
And what is the power of mindfulness?
Consider the Ariyan disciple who is mindful;
possessing a mastery of mindfulness in a high degree,
he minds
and reminds[3] himself
of things done and said long ago.
This, monks, is called the power of mindfulness.
■
And what is the power of concentration?
Consider the Ariyan disciple who is aloof from sense desire;
aloof from evil ideas,
enters and abides in the first musing,
wherein applied and sustained thought works,
which is born of solitude
and is full of zest and ease.
Suppressing applied and sustained thought,
he enters and abides in the second musing,
which is self-evolved,
born of concentration,
full of zest and ease,
free from applied and sustained thought,
wherein the mind becomes calm and one-pointed.
Free from the fervour of zest,
mindful and self-possessed,
he enters and abides in the third musing,
and experiences in his being
that ease whereof the Ariyans declare:
"He that is tranquil and mindful dwells at ease."
By putting away ease and by putting away ill,
by the passing away of happiness and misery he was wont to feel,
he enters and abides in the fourth musing,
which is utter purity of mindfulness and poise
and is free of ease and ill.
This, monks, is called the power of concentration.
■
And what is the power of wisdom?
Consider the Ariyan disciple who is wise;
he is wise as to the way of growth and decay,
possessing Ariyan penetration of
the way to the utter destruction of ill.
This, monks, is called the power of wisdom.
Verily, monks, these are the seven powers.'
Faith, energy, conscientiousness, fear of blame,
Mindfulness, concentration, wisdom seventh -
Well-armed with such the wise monk dwells at ease,
Tests Dhamma's moulding, wisdom's goal discerns,
And, as a quenched flame, is freed in heart.
[1] D. i, 62; M. i, 37; S. ii, 69; A. ii, 168, etc.
[2] Samāpatti.
[3] Sariṭā anussaritā.
